This invention relates to a water treatment system, apparatus and method used in connection with treating water in pond, particularly a decorative landscape type pond.
The use of ponds as a decorative landscape feature is becoming increasingly popular. One of the desirable features of such a pond is the ability to view fish and plants therein, as well as a clean and attractive bottom. It is also desirable to provide an environmentally friendly system which may attract various animals and insects. Thus, clear water is a desirable feature. But the viewability can be hampered by cloudy water which in many cases is caused by excess algae buildup. This buildup may be the result of excess nutrients, such as total nitrogen and phosphorus, beyond acceptable levels which may be caused by animal waste products, fertilizer run off, chemical additions and the like.
Chemicals such as chlorine or copper based compounds can be added to the pond to control the nutrient level or to destroy the algae. But these chemicals could adversely impact the plants and fish, tend to break down rapidly, require repeated applications, may be expensive and may require extensive balancing to assure the proper water chemistry.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to control the clarity of decorative pond water without reliance on chemical additives.
Filtration systems, which may include a skimmer system, have been employed to remove leaves and other matter that may fall onto the pond surface. However, such matter may fall to the pond bottom to form sediment or break up into particulate matter which may be suspended or also form sediment. These filters act to skim the surface matter and may remove some of the nutrients and particulate matter.
However, it is desirable to more effectively remove nutrients, particulate matter and sediment so as to enhance the viewability.
The use of natural processes of the type associated with wetlands, where aquatic plants utilize and/or remove nutrients is desirable. Various processes have been suggested by which these plants bioaccumulate and remove the nutrients that directly or indirectly degrade the water quality. Wetlands occur in nature and are used to cleanse lake and river water. Recently, constructed wetland features have come into use.
Thus, it is another object to employ a constructed wetlands feature with a decorative pond system to enhance viewability.
These and other objects will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.
The system, apparatus and method of this invention meet the foregoing objects, enhance water clarity, reduce nutrient level, minimize the use of undesirable chemical additives, remove undesirable suspended and settled matter and employ the use of a constructed wetlands.
In this invention, there is a main body of water or decorative pond and a treatment or constructed wetlands pond. The ponds are usually separate, but may be sections or zones of a single body of water. The wetlands pond includes a treatment apparatus which (A) receives water from the main pond, (B) disburses received water into the treatment pond, and (C) collects particulate matter. The wetlands pond also includes: facultative bacteria; a substrate (such as gravel) for the bacteria; vegetation or aquatic plants to utilize the nutrients and reduce the nutrient level; and a device for the return of treated water to the main pond usually by gravity. Such a device may be a waterfall feature.
The treatment apparatus includes (1) an elongated disbursement module that defines a passageway, a flat bottom, a water inlet end, an outlet end, and arcuate upper surface joined to the bottom with a series of exit apertures in the upper surface and (2) a hollow, cylindrical stack-like structure for use in cleaning a module which is coupled to the stack and the stack also includes a cap that sealingly engages the top of the stack.
Water from the main or decorative pond is pumped to the inlet end of the disbursement module and flows through the disbursement module. Due to gravity, pressure and velocity differences, particulate matter in the water will fall to the flat bottom. The remaining water exits the disbursement module through exit apertures in the module where it flows into the wetlands pond and the bacteria, substrate and vegetation act to reduce the nutrient level in the water. The sedimented and reduced nutrient level water may be returned to the main pond by an overflow or waterfall system that may add oxygen to or oxygenate the water. The treatment system and apparatus are operated continuously so as to continuously reduce sediment and nutrient levels.
Periodically the system is cleaned via the stack. When the cap on the stack is removed, water flows to the bottom of the stack with sediment therein which collects on stack bottom. Thus, by scooping, vacuuming or pumping techniques, sediment at the bottom of the stack can be removed.
Several different treatment configurations can be assembled by adding additional treatment modules or the stack. These configurations can include a cross like configuration useful in a large pond.